Mister Putin, when lecturing the USA on our moral position...

[cthulu2016]

it would help your case to avoid lies that you know are lies, that we know are lies and that you know that we know are lies.

(aka, The Karen Hughes trifecta.)

Yes, America lies about stuff and has a shaky moral high-horse on a lot of this stuff. But Putin's op-ed is rendered "fliers about UFOs you find stuck under your windshield wipers" level disposable by the "rebels did it" bullshit.

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

Of course... Assad is going to abandon his WMD (per Russia) because the rebels did it (per Russia).

And the USA doesn't give the first flying fuck about the rebel's next massive nerve gas artillery attack, which will be on Israel, because we tend not to take threats to Israel very seriously here.

[joshcryer]

1. That was my biggest complaint. Plus he says a strike would lead to escalation.

Now let's assume that's right (it absolutely is and that's why I've been against a strike), who benefits from an escalation? Barely armed rebels or a heavily armed-by-Russia Assad?

It's an obvious contradiction that just stands out like a sore thumb in that article.

Of course I'd agree with the "American exceptionalism" bit at the end, but that kind of goes without saying and like many RT articles, it seems more an appeal to leftists as opposed to a real critique. After all, Putin has embraced the right wing nationalist United Russia, and I wonder if he'd say that "right wing Russian nationalism" is a good idea.

[musical_soul]

2. Forget left vs. right.

This is about smart vs. not smart.

This strike is not smart.

It won't help our interests.

It won't help the Syrian people.

All it's going to do is encourage anti-Americanism and violence against Americans.

[joshcryer]

4. The OP is about Putin's op-ed.

I was discussing Putin's obvious contradictions.

[2naSalit]

5. Yup.

[woo me with science]

6. Thank you. nt

[Waiting For Everyman]

3. It looks to me like Putin's staff read some American websites

and picked out some things that are said that serve his purpose Everything in his piece has been said here by somebody, and I'm sure other discussion sites or comment pages are no different.

[cthulu2016]

7. It is for international consumption

Orwell's "useful idiots" of the left are a target.

I am somewhat concerned that the "Obama=Muslim Brotherhood" right in Egypt and the USA and throughout the crazier quarters of the middle east is also a target.